Sussex Green Living: Gatwick growth plans clash with climate targets
By Sally Pavey from CAGNE - While Gatwick Airport celebrates being 'ready for peak summer season' with boasts of new airlines and destinations, a critical voice is missing from their glossy announcements: the stark warnings from the Committee on Climate Change that aviation expansion could jeopardize the UK's climate targets. As 11,200 night flights prepare to disrupt summer evenings across Sussex, residents and climate scientists alike are asking whether the true cost of this growth is being deliberately ignored.
‘Gatwick ready for peak summer season’ says Mark Dunford article, but does not mention those residents that suffer due to this, why? Nor does it mention anything about the carbon and non-greenhouse gases released by flying?
Residents need to prepare for an increase in flights as little consideration is given to those seeking tranquillity of the garden and nature or sleep at night by the airport or flyers (11,200 night flights during the summer season). Or even the impact flying will have on the planet.
Gatwick Airport management boast of new airlines, new baggage handling system (reducing jobs), new destinations, if driving to the airport book parking (so much for using public transport then), and special assistance, and make sure you allow enough time for shopping with the 10% duty free reserve and collect service (no wonder the Crawley high street can’t compete).
At a time when the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) provides an update to the government on the impact on our planet for allowing aviation to grow, we ask do flyers realise that there is no alternative to reducing their carbon footprint than by not flying?
The committee is clear that aviation needs to take responsibility for its own emissions and skills needed to transition. That aviation is not helping the climate crisis with increasing emissions compared to other sectors – growth needs to reduce. And that by aviation continuing to grow could put the UK future (CO2) targets at risk whilst informing the government that emissions are also coming from surface transport.
With such comments it is hard to see how the Government can push ahead with Heathrow expansion let alone its plans for Luton Airport or a new runway at Gatwick Airport.
Lord Deben, former chair of CCC, told ITV News (2.8.25) “the proposals for Heathrow would mean other airports can’t expand, as the government would not be able to keep within their climate targets.”
And for Gatwick Airport and other airports, he said “It doesn’t contain the necessary part, which tells every other airport in Britian that there can be no expansion.”
https://www.itv.com/news/2025-07-31/heathrow-reveals-plan-for-third-runway-but-will-it-take-off
The Government seems to be banking on alternative fuel known as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by giving an additional £63m taxpayers fund to aviation - 17 companies “capable of reducing emissions by more than 65% on a lifecycle basis when used in place of conventional fossil jet fuel” by making SAF -https://share.google/Go4wOCWYx1QxXo6js
This is in addition to the £52m of taxpayer’s money already donated to aviation SAF fund, bringing the total to date to £115m.
Flying may be fun for some, but it is a polluter, and you can’t escape the fact, that every time you fly you are adding to the climate crisis.